


A Butler's Duty

by JustAndrea



Category: Batman - All Media Types, The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Genre: Adoption, Alfred is a good grandfather, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 17:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13486503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: “Oh! No, I'm not here to sell him something!” The boy said quickly, “I'm here ‘cause, well… ‘Cause he said he would adopt me!” Alfred blinked, wondering if he had heard that right. 'Oh Master Bruce, what have you done now?' he thought to himself.





	A Butler's Duty

**Author's Note:**

> Been wanting to write a Lego!Alfred and Dick centered-fic for a while now - I love their interactions in the movie, and I will never get over how Dick calls Alfred ‘Grandpa’. Gah, so cute! ^v^ - and it looks like I’m finally doing it! Yay! So, enjoy!

_“-And as you can see, celebrations after the mayor’s official ‘the city is now crime-free’ announcement are still going strong! With all of Gotham’s villains now safely locked away in Arkham Asylum, I think it’s safe to say that everyone here is looking forward to their new peaceful, crime-free lives! Back to you, Chip!”_

Alfred held back a sigh. Yes, everyone in Gotham was looking forward to not having to deal with crime every day… Everyone but Batman, that is.

The Dark Knight had managed to drag himself to the Mayor’s ceremony, but once he got back home, he pretty much locked himself away in the Batcave despite there being nothing to keep an eye on and no crimes to investigate.

“It’s certainly going to be an adjustment for him…” Alfred mumbled to himself as he continued to sweep the floors of the parlor, the tv quickly becoming background noise as a commercial came on. Still, the old butler decided to stay positive. Perhaps a change like this would be for the better. His master had spent so much time being Batman - so much time building up emotional walls and focusing on his new role as ‘the best and coolest crime-fighter ever’, both to save others from getting hurt, and to distract himself from thinking about his own hurt. His own loss, his own loneliness…

But, with Batman not needed, perhaps Bruce Wayne could once again take the reigns of his life and focus on other ways to fill his life with meaning and maybe even happiness. Ways that, hopefully, wouldn’t involve bat-a-rangs and vehicles with bat wings attached to them. Then again, Alfred knew his Master Bruce, so perhaps this sort of hoping was a bit farfetched… But hey, an old butler could still dream.

Reaching the other side of the room, Alfred took a moment to survey his work. Once he was satisfied and certain that there was no dust or dirt left, he gave a nod and put away his room. “Best to start on Bruce’s lobster now. Maybe he’ll actually eat it fresh today…”

However, before he could even start walking to the kitchen, a loud knock from several rooms away stopped him. The knocking was followed by the ringing of the Wayne Manor doorbell, as if the visitor wanted to make sure that whoever was home knew that they were there. “How odd,” Alfred said, raising an eyebrow. Who could be visiting? Perhaps the new Commissioner Gordon, or maybe a reporter wanting to know Bruce Wayne’s opinion on Gotham now being crime-free.

Whoever it was, Alfred made sure to move quickly to the front door, not wanting to keep them waiting too long. “Yes?” he said, opening the door - and blinking in surprise when he saw who it was. It wasn’t a reporter, and it certainly wasn’t Barbara Gordon. Rather, it was a young child. A boy with brown hair and glasses that almost looked like goggles and who, if Alfred had to guess, was maybe only ten or twelve years old (thirteen at the absolute oldest if he happened to be short for his age).

“Hello, sir!” the boy in front of him waved, smiling widely, “Um, this is Wayne Manor, right? Home of billionaire Bruce Wayne?”

“Er, yes. But-”

“Great!” The boy gave a sigh of relief, “I know there aren’t many mansions in Gotham but, I still wanted to make sure this was the right one.”

“Well, I can assure you, young man, that you are indeed standing at the home of Mister Bruce Wayne,” Alfred replied, unable to help but give the boy a small smile of his own, “However, I'm afraid Master Bruce is… busy, at the moment. Though, I'm sure he won't mind me cutting a small check if you're here to try and raise money for a school fundrais-”

“Oh! No, I'm not here to sell him something!” The boy said quickly, “I'm here ‘cause, well… ‘Cause he said he would adopt me!”

Alfred blinked, wondering if he had heard that right. “He… E-Excuse me?”

Thankfully, the child didn't seem too offended at Alfred not knowing about his apparent arrangement with Bruce Wayne. “Okay so, my name is Richard Grayson - though, most people just call me Dick - and I was at Commissioner Gordon’s retirement party, ‘cause all the kids at the orphanage got to help with the entertainment by singing and it was so much fun! Oh, but then I saw Mister Wayne! And since he's the most successful orphan of all, I decided to try and get some advice on how to get adopted, so we talked for a while and I asked him if he was thinking about adopting a child and he said yes and I asked him what kind and-!”

Dick stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. “-And as it turned out, the kind of kid he wanted to adopt was a kid like me! So, I asked him if he wanted to adopt me, and he said YES! Gosh, can you believe that?”

“Erm, well…” Alfred winced slightly. _Oh Master Bruce, what have you done now?_ Honestly, Alfred wasn't sure how one could accidentally agree to an adoption but somehow Bruce had done it, and now Alfred had to undo it. “I'm… I'm terribly sorry, Mister Grayson but-”

Dick’s smile started to falter. “What? What is it? Has, has he changed his mind? ‘Cause, I know that happens sometimes…” He then glanced down at his feet, giving a small shrug. “It's just that, I mean… He seemed like he really wanted to adopt me…”

The boy looked back up at him, and with a single puppy-dog eyed glance, Alfred felt his heart nearly break. “Oh dear… I, well… I-I'm sure there are plenty other-...” Dick sniffled slightly as he glanced away again, trying not to show too much disappointment, and suddenly Alfred was unable to finish that sentence. “...Why don't you come inside? I’ll fix you some juice and a snack and, ah… see if I can find Master Bruce so I can tell him that you're here.”

“...” It took a moment, but Dick did smile at Alfred. It was a bit smaller this time, but it was just as genuine.

()()()()()()()()()

“-Master Bruce, I really do think you should-”

“And I already told you, Alfred, I’m busy!” Without another word, Batman turned back to his computer screens. On one screen was a currently-silent police scanner, on another was Arkham Asylum - still in-tact with no signs of even an attempted breakout. Of course, this peace did nothing to soothe Batman nerves. “Just take care of it yourself, alright?”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Alfred made his way back to the elevator. He had been trying to get his master to come upstairs all day, but no such luck. ‘Well, maybe it’s for the better,’ he thought to himself. With Dick already having such a high opinion of Bruce Wayne, he was sure it wouldn’t do the boy to see him again when Bruce was already in a pretty bad mood.

So, it would be up to Alfred to keep entertaining their young guest, for the invitation for a snack and some juice had ended up turning into an invitation for a snack and some juice, a quick tour around the manor, some light tv watching while Alfred finished up the rest of his chores (and tried to get Batman to finally make an appearance) and, eventually, supper. Try as he might, Alfred just couldn’t bare to turn the boy away.

“So, do rich people eat lobster all the time?” Dick asked as he handed Alfred his plate.

“Well, I can’t speak for most ‘rich people’,” Alfred started to reply, “But I do know that lobster thermidor is Master Bruce’s favorite, so I do tend to cook it the most.”

“Ah,” Dick nodded before giving the butler another (adorable) smile, “You seem like a really good cook!”

Alfred chuckled. “Thank you, Mister Grayson. I try my best.”

The boy gave a bit of a pout at that. “Alfred, if I can call you Alfred instead of ‘sir’ or ‘mister’, then you should be allowed to call me Dick! It’s only fair!”

Again, Alfred chuckled a bit. Like most children his age (which was twelve, just as Alfred had guessed), Dick was not only charming, but usually had no hesitations about speaking his mind. “Alright then, Master Dick. I shall call you that from now on.”

Dick beamed. “Great!” he shouted, not even minding the ‘master’ part since Alfred called Bruce ‘master’ too. Though, after a moment, his smile faltered a bit. “So, um… What did Bruce say when you talked to him?”

“Well… You must understand that Master Bruce is a very busy person,” Alfred told him, giving the boy a sort of sad smile as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “He has to take care of business reports and stock exchanges and, well, plenty of other things.” Not wanting Dick to feel too disappointed though, he quickly added, “I’m sure he’s excited to see you again, he just has other… ‘responsibilities’ to take care of first. Do you understand, Dick?”

Despite still being a bit sad, Dick nodded. “Yeah, I get it… And, I guess I should be heading back to the orphanage anyway. It’s getting pretty late, after all…”

It was then that Alfred realized something. “...Master Dick, did you tell the people that are in charge of taking care of you and the other children at the orphanage that you had been adopted?”

“Nah,” Dick shook his head, “When kids get adopted, their new parents have to fill out a bunch of paperwork. But I already knew that Bruce wanted to adopt me, so I just decided to sneak out, figuring that Bruce could fill out the paperwork later!”

“I see… Dick, you really shouldn’t have done that. It-”

“But it was really easy! Climbing out my bedroom window and over the fence was a breeze!” Dick told him, grinning proudly, “And, well… I don’t think very many people noticed me there anyway. Probably ‘cause I was one of the older kids there, so I guess I didn’t need much attention?”

Alfred bit his lip slightly. Again, this boy had tugged on his old heartstrings - and by this point, he wasn’t even sure if Dick realized he was even doing it! “I wouldn’t say that. Everyone deserves attention.”

“Yeah… But, hey, I don’t mind. I mean, I want the other kids to be happy too. And hey, I still get plenty of things too! Like, the playground we have is perfect for doing flips and jumps, and we get pretty good food. Oh! And Batman visits us sometimes too! That’s always great! But…” Dick smiled again, though this time it wasn’t as eager or excited. Instead it was a softer smile, one that was full of hope.

“But… I still can’t wait to live here. To… To actually have a _family_ again.”

“...And, I’m sure Master Bruce is looking forward to you living here as well, Master Dick,” Alfred told him, forcing himself to smile back at the boy.

Looking excited again, Dick quickly asked, “Does that mean that it would be alright for me to come over again tomorrow morning? I mean, unless he has some breakfast business meeting that he has to get to…”

“Well, I’m not a hundred percent sure but, perhaps Master Bruce’s schedule will be a bit less crowded tomorrow.” And after a moment of thinking it over, Alfred then added, “Why don’t you stay in a guest room for tonight? It may be dangerous walking all the way back to the Gotham mainland this late.”

Dick gave a curious look at that. “But, there’s still no crime to worry about, right?”

“Yes well, it would still be dark,” Alfred lightly argued, “Besides, there’s no need to go all the way back to the orphanage if you’re coming back in the morning. So, would you like to stay the night here?”

Unsurprisingly, Dick’s smile widened even more as he stood on his chair. “Gosh yes, of course! I’d love to stay here!” Without any warning, he hopped down from his seat and practically ran into Alfred, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. “Thanks so much, Alfred!”

“...” While it was safe to say that Alfred was much more used to physical contact (that didn’t involve fists) than his master, he was still a bit shocked. But even so, he still made sure to return the hug, patting Dick lightly on the back as he did so. Just as he did when Bruce was a boy… “You’re very welcome, Dick…”

()()()()()()()()()()

For the next few days, Batman remained in the Batcave staring at his various screens, his moods going from depressed to anxious to angry and frustrated, quickly becoming a vicious cycle for the vigilante. Along with that, he only ever came out of his cave when he decided to do a stakeout at Arkham, just to make sure there was no funny business or evil schemes going on there. “No one just surrenders themselves! _Especially_ not the Joker!” Batman had argued when Alfred caught him getting into one of his many bat-vehicles, “He’s up to something, Alfred, and I’m going to find out what!”

Of course, Arkham Asylum - as well as the rest of Gotham - proved to still be safe and peaceful, but as always Batman refused to let anything go. So, while Bruce Wayne remained ‘busy’, it was up to Alfred to take care of Dick. And thankfully, while the boy was still disappointed about not being able to see his new dad, he didn’t hanging out with his new butler - and frankly, neither did Alfred.

To say that Dick was a ball of energy was putting it lightly. Whenever Alfred would leave him alone to go complete a chore or try talking to Bruce again, he would come back to find Dick doing something like climbing the kitchen cabinets or bookshelves in the library to try and reach something, or playing swords with one of the suits of armor they had set up in the north wing, or even just going up and down the halls, singing songs as he skipped along.

On one occasion, Alfred caught Dick staring up at one of the manor’s crystal chandeliers, almost entranced by it. “I do hope that you’re only admiring it, Master Dick, and not thinking about climbing it.” Dick’s only reply to that was a sheepish look and a quick change-of-subject.

Of course, that wasn’t to say the boy was rude or disrespectful. Certainly not! In fact, he would always offer to help Alfred tidy up the dishes whenever they ate something. “I helped dirty them, so it’s only fair that I help clean them too!” Dick would always retort, no matter how often Alfred reminded him that it was a butler’s job to clean things up. Of course, Alfred would always give in and allow Dick to help, having him dry the dishes after Alfred washed them.

Dick was also a curious child. While most children would probably be bored hearing about old pieces of art or the architecture, Dick was thrilled about learning it almost as much as Alfred enjoyed teaching about it. He also asked plenty of questions, and not just about the manor, but about Bruce and even about Alfred himself!

As such, Alfred always made sure not to leave any of his butlering duties halfway done before going to check on Dick, knowing that any conversation he started with the boy would take quite some time to stop. Though, if he was being honest, Alfred didn’t really mind that. It had been much too long since he’d had a conversation with someone that wasn’t about scheduling various billionaire-related events or going over clues from a crime scene.

Still, as varied and interesting as their conversations went, they all seemed to lead back to one single thought:

“So… Have you heard anything from Bruce? Does he still have a lot of work to do?”

Taking his hand off the doorknob, Alfred turned to the boy with his usual sad smile and replied, “I’m sorry, but yes. He just has a bit more work to get through, it shouldn’t take too much longer.”

Those words… What started out as bitter now felt nearly as painful as boiling hot tea every time he said them. Lying about Bruce’s secret identity was one thing, he could do that with no problem at all. That was one thing. A complicated thing at some points, though still fairly simple. But lying to a child? Getting their hopes up only to keep disappointing them? Frankly, Alfred wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

Frowning slightly now, Dick still gave a small nod, still understanding his new guardian’s schedule for now at least. He then yawned as he burrowed himself under the blankets. “Okay… I really hope it’s tomorrow…”

“I do too, Master Dick. I do too…”

“Mm…” Closing his eyes, the boy started to smile a bit in his sleep, no doubt dreaming of tomorrow and of wishes finally coming true. “Goodnight, Alfred,” he mumbled.

“Goodnight, Master Dick…” Turning off the lights, Alfred stared at him for just a moment or two longer before leaving the guest room, shutting the door behind him.

This was going too far… This was _all_ going too far.

Yes, this had started out as Bruce’s mistake (speaking of which, Alfred STILL didn’t know all the details of and still couldn’t believe that it had happened in the first place), but the more Alfred played along, the more he knew he was just making it worse in the long run.

How long would it be until Dick started getting frustrated with his new father’s absence? How long until Bruce finally made an appearance, only to tell Dick that he had changed his mind - or even worse, didn’t even remember their apparent agreement? He should have just sent Dick back to the orphanage. He should have just told him the truth. He should be telling him the truth right now! And yet, Alfred just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Because Dick was just like Bruce.

It didn’t matter that Dick wasn’t eight years old, he acted exactly like Bruce used to, before that awful night in Crime Alley. Alfred could still remember how Bruce would follow his parents around like he was their little shadow, eager for whatever activity they had planned next, not caring what it was. Before that night, Bruce had been a child who laughed, who was excited about life, who didn’t mind the idea of making friends. Before that night, Bruce had been like Dick.

It was strange, and almost encouraging... Both of them had experienced the same tragedy, yet instead of rejecting the world and only seeing the darkness that needed to be tamed before anyone else got hurt, Dick instead chose to see the lighter side. To keep trying to be happy, despite any hurt he might have felt - and he certainly still felt it. Alfred would notice it whenever they passed by the Wayne family photos, when Dick would stare and suddenly become quiet, no doubt remembering certain people and events from his own life.

“He needs a family,” Alfred told himself as he made his way to his own bedroom, too frustrated to work on any of his nightly chores or even try talking to his master again. Dick needed a family, there was no doubt about that. Without one, he was sure that the boy’s optimism and hope would begin to fade and be replaced with bitterness as he would start to block out anyone who could maybe help him.

But Alfred was determined not to let that happened. Dick needed a family… And so did Bruce. After all, who could better understand and help an orphan than another orphan? “He can’t stay in that blasted cave of his forever,” Alfred added under his breath as he went into his room and shut his door, “I’ll make sure he doesn’t.” For both Dick’s sake, and for Bruce’s.

()()()()()()()()()()

It had been nearly a week since Dick had unofficially moved into the manor when Alfred had received the call.

_“-We hope he hasn’t been bothering Mister Wayne too much, and we are so sorry for not noticing that he was gone sooner. If you want, Mister Pennyworth, we can send one of our workers out there right now to pick Richard up-”_

“That won’t be necessary, ma’am,” Alfred told her. His voice was as professional as ever, but his face was filled with concern. “I... I’ll take care of it.”

_“Well, alright… I guess we’ll see you soon then.”_

“Yes… Good day.” With that, the butler hung up, finally releasing his sigh.

“...Was that the orphanage?”

Alfred turned around. Dick was staring at him, holding the book he had retrieved from the library close to his chest. He didn’t seem surprised by the call, but he didn’t exactly look too happy about it either. “Guess they finally noticed I was gone, huh?” he asked.

“I’m afraid so…” The boy bit his lip slightly, squeezing the book even tighter now. He stayed silent, but Alfred knew what he wanted to ask. It was no longer a matter of waiting until tomorrow or being patient. Now there was only a short window of time left, and Dick only had one hope left. One very unlikely hope, given that Bruce wasn’t even home at the moment, and instead was outside Arkham Asylum again for another Joker-related stakeout.

And so, with that in mind, Alfred decided to once again take matters into his own hands, disregarding any possible consequences. Crazy or not, this WAS the right decision. “Come along, Master Dick,” he said, gently taking the book out of his hands and placing it on a nearby table, “We should get going.”

“R-Right…” Dick blinked a couple times, trying not to tear up. He didn’t want to make a fuss. Kids who threw tantrums didn’t get adopted, after all. “Um, s-should I pack my things real quick?”

“I don’t believe that would be necessary,” Alfred told him coolly, already heading towards the coat closet, “It should be a short trip. Though I would still wear your parka. We may not have gotten much snow recently, but it is still winter out there.”

“...Uhh, okay?” Dick said, now looking more confused than upset, but followed the older gentleman’s request nonetheless.

Just as Alfred said, the ride felt like a short one - even with Wayne Manor being far from Gotham, there wasn’t too much traffic to get in the way. Soon enough, they had arrived at the old orphanage, its tall gates already open.

With a sigh, Dick got out of the car. He began to thank Alfred for the ride, but stopped when he noticed the butler getting out as well. “Oh. Gosh, Alfred, you don’t need to walk me in-”

“I know, Master Dick,” Alfred replied, yet he made no move to get back into the fancy car. He instead walked beside Dick as they made their way to the front door, a light smile on his face. They barely had the chance to even knock at the door when it opened up, revealing a middle aged woman with curly red hair and glasses.

“You must be Mister Wayne’s butler,” she said, giving Alfred a small nod, “Again, I’m so sorry if Richard bothered you or Mister Wayne. We’ll be sure to give him a bit of a talking to, and-”

“Actually, ma'am,” Alfred cut in, “I can assure you that Dick was no trouble at all. He’s a very polite and charming young man. I enjoyed his company, as has my master.” He saw Dick giving him another confused look out of the corner of his eye, but Alfred continued on. “In fact, Mister Wayne has taken such a shine to Dick that he’s decided to adopt him.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “He - Really? Well, um, that’s- That’s great! That’s wonderful to hear. But, in order adopt him, we’ll need Mister Wayne’s signature on all of the paperwork.”

“Regretfully, Mister Wayne had a meeting that he couldn’t miss nor could he reschedule,” Alfred explained, his voice never faltering, “However, I can assure you that he wants Dick to be part of his family. So, as his most trusted and closest employee, he has sent me to sign the paperwork in his place. Of course, I’m sure once he has a free moment, he will come down here himself and add his signature. But in the meantime, well… It doesn’t seem right to leave a boy who’s about to have a home and a new family in an orphanage, does it?”

“...” The woman looked at the butler, as if to make sure he was trustworthy. She then looked at Dick, whose expression was a mix of shocked and hopeful - hoping to the Man Upstairs that she’d say yes.

“Well, it is a bit unconventional… But, in this case, I think we could allow it,” she finally told them, a warm smile now on her face, “After all, Mister Wayne has given so much to this place. All his charity checks have really helped keep these kids happy. Honestly, the only person they probably like more than Bruce Wayne is, well, Batman! And if Mister Wayne wants to adopt one of our children here, then who are we to say no?” She then opened the door a bit wider, allowing the two to come inside. “I’ll go grab the paperwork, and we’ll make this quick.”

Grinning now, Dick grabbed Alfred’s hand and practically yanked him inside. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” he said under his breath. This was really happening! After being at the Gotham City Orphanage for two years - ever since that awful night at Haly’s Circus - he was finally getting adopted! “Thanks so much, Mrs. H!”

Mrs. H giggled, smiling at the boy. “You’re very welcome, Richard. I’m sure you’ll love your new family.”

Dick glanced back at Alfred, who was still smiling, having no regrets whatsoever. “Yeah,” Dick nodded, grinning at the butler, “I think I will too!”

As the woman had promised, the paperwork was fairly simple and quick to get through, and once everything was signed, Dick was allowed to go back to Wayne Manor - his new home. And, as soon as they walked back outside, Dick made his gratitude for this known by once again giving Alfred another big hug.

“Thanks Alfred,” he said quietly, his eyes still a bit teary.

This time, Alfred didn’t hesitate to return the hug. “You’re very welcome, Master Dick. Now, come along. Let’s go home.”

“Yeah!” Dick cheered as he let go of the old butler, jumping a bit in the air. “Gosh, Bruce is going to be so surprised!”

Alfred’s smile faltered a bit. “Ahem, yes, he will… certainly be surprised…” he mumbled.

“Or, I guess I should call him Dad now. That’s a word I haven’t used in a while… But I, I still love my old parents, of course. But, now I’m not alone anymore! Now I have a new family and, and it’s going to be great!” He looked back at his butler. “Right, Alfred?”

“...Right,” Alfred said after a moment. Even if he was still unsure of the future himself, he wasn’t going to let his young master know it. What mattered now was that Dick now had a home, and hopefully everything else would work itself out.

As they got back into the car, Dick had a thought. “Hey, Alfred? You’ve taken care of Bruce ever since… um, ever since his parents passed away, right?” Alfred nodded. “So, that means you’ve sorta adopted Bruce, right?”

“Well… It’s never been an official adoption,” he explained. After all, while he cared for Bruce like a son, he never wanted it to seem like he was ever trying to replace Thomas and Martha Wayne. Not after Bruce had lost them in such an awful way. He was simply a stand in. But still- “I have however promised to take care of him and always be by his side in case he needs me, no matter what. So, I suppose you could call me Master Bruce’s guardian.”

“Which is still sorta like a parent. So… So that would make you my new grandpa!” Dick beamed.

Honestly, Alfred wasn’t sure whether to laugh or scoff at that. Him? A grandfather? “I consider myself more of a humble butler, Master Dick,” he told him, “Although, if you wish to call me that, I feel no offense towards it. Just know that it is not required-”

“Okay, Grandpa!” Dick chimed, actually making Alfred chuckle this time. Grandpa, huh? Well… It did sort of warm his old heart to hear.

With the threat of being abandoned no longer hanging over his head, Dick was his chatty self the rest of the car ride, with Alfred happily going along with each new conversation and topic change. However, when the topic became Dick’s favorite foods - since Alfred had wanted to prepare a personalized meal for the boy to celebrate - Dick once again became sort of quiet. “Is everything alright, Master Dick?” he asked as they pulled into Wayne Manor’s driveway.

“Oh, yeah! Definitely!” Dick nodded, forcing his smile to come back, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy about all of this! But, well… I just sorta wish my new dad was celebrating with us.”

Ah, yes. The only flaw in Alfred’s plan. But not for long… “Unfortunately, I don’t believe Master Bruce will be at home tonight,” he began to say, “However I do believe tomorrow he will be a bit more available.”

“Really?” Dick asked, his face brightening once more.

“Yes,” Alfred nodded, “I’m almost certain of it.” A parental lock on the Bat-Computer should do it. At the very least, once Batman realized what he had been missing all of this time, maybe it would get him out of the Batcave for a bit.

“Well,” Dick said as they got out of the car, skipping slightly as he made his way back to the manor, “Then I really, REALLY can’t wait until tomorrow!”

“Nor can I,” Alfred agreed, though his own smile had disappeared. There was still a chance for things to go wrong, still a chance for heartbreak. He knew how stubborn Batman could be… But he also knew how caring Bruce could secretly be. Bruce needed Dick just as much as Dick needed a new family, and one way or another, Alfred was going to make sure it happened, even if it took some time.

And even if not everything went according to the old butler’s plan, surely things couldn’t go THAT wrong! ...Right?

()()()()()()()()()()()

It had been a long day. ...Or, was it days? Between all the traveling, fighting, and _way_ too many near-death experiences, Alfred honestly couldn’t remember how much time had passed since the moment he ‘accidentally’ let Dick into the Batcave and now. No wonder he felt so tired...

Still, a butler’s job was never done. The dishes they had left behind when they headed back to city to re-capture all the Gotham Rogues were still in the sink, not to mention all the ‘Joker Manor’ decor that still needed to be taken down. Despite his fatigue, Alfred was certain he was only going to have a little time to rest before getting back to work.

But even so, as he glanced over at the living room couch, where Batman and Dick were currently relaxing and watching an old action movie on tv together as they snacked on bowls of cereal, Alfred quickly decided that any sort of fatigue he felt was completely worth it.

“Oh, watch this, kid. This is the best part!” Batman said, grinning as they watched the swashbuckler knock his enemy’s weapon right out of his hands. Of course, the bad guy had a whole crew with them, but the hero wasn’t deterred. He simply dodged the sneak attack from behind him, dove over the first bad guy, and grabbed his sword. And, with two swords to fight now, it was obvious that his enemies didn’t stand a chance.

“Whoaaaa, that’s so cool!” “Heh, told ya it was the best part!” “Yeah! I bet I could do that! Just do a huge flip right over the bad guy and-” Dick stopped, giving a very long yawn mid-sentence, “a-and just, win the fight and save the day!”

“I have no doubt that you could, Master Dick,” Alfred spoke up, setting his broom and dustpan to the side as he made his way over to the couch, “Though, perhaps saving the day could wait until after you’ve gotten some sleep. After all, I’m sure it’s past your usual bedtime.”

“Actually,” Dick began to say as he gave another yawn, “Batdad said that vigilantes don’t have bedtimes.”

Alfred immediately gave his master a flat look for that. “Oh, did he now?” he said, crossing his arms.

“Hey, I only said that because I figured he’d still go to bed when he was tired!” Batman argued.

“Mmm, I’m not THAT tired,” Dick retorted, even as he began leaning on his dad’s shoulder, his eyes only half-open, “I wanna at least see the end of the movie! Pleaaaaase, padre?”

“...” Batman glanced back over at his butler. “There is only like twenty-five minutes of this thing left.”

Alfred held back a sigh. “Very well. I suppose staying up a bit longer wouldn’t do too much harm.”

“Thanks Grandpa,” Dick said, giving him a sleepy smile as he settled back in. Honestly, all three of them knew in the back of their minds that Dick probably wouldn’t even make it to the end credits before falling asleep, yet none of them wanted this moment of peace to end - especially after all that they had been through.

Turning his attention back to his new son, Batman gently brushed some hair out of Dick’s eyes before setting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Almost immediately, Dick snuggled up closer to him. “Heh…” For whatever reason, the kid sure did like hugs, but maybe that wasn’t that bad of a thing. “Yeah… Thanks Alfred. For, you know… Everything. For… for not listening to me and, and helping us out with the villains and all that stuff.”

It wasn’t much, but Alfred knew what it really meant. He patted his surrogate son’s shoulder. “Of course, Master Bruce.” He stayed by his two masters - his family - just a moment longer before moving on, wanting to get just a bit more work done before heading to bed himself.

Honestly, even with all of Batman’s eccentricities, Alfred hadn’t expected Dick to end up becoming a superhero as well, choosing to fight by his new father’s side. Still, the role of Robin suited him, acting as both something Dick wanted and something Bruce needed, so Alfred supported it one hundred percent. Unfortunately, that also meant he had more to worry about whenever the Bat Signal shone. Yes, Dick had proven himself to be a great fighter and he was glad that Batman was no longer flying solo against crime, but Gotham was still a very dangerous place.

But even with all the dangers and struggles - both physical and personal - that they were sure to face in the future, Alfred was determined to protect and take care of the two heroes just as they did with their city. After all, it was a butler’s duty to take care of their family, and Alfred would always accept and honor that duty without hesitation, no matter what.

Because hey, Batman wasn’t the only one who needed a family.

**THE END**


End file.
